'Congressman honors drag icon RuPaul' & other Thur midday news briefs

RuPaul

Congressman honors drag icon RuPaul on the House floor - Why not? Ru is well deserving of the honor. 

On The Michelangelo Signorile Show, Media Matters' Ari Drennen discusses how mainstream and right-wing media fuel an anti-trans panic - And she is right. Why don't the media amplify more trans voices? 

Missouri governor signs bill banning transgender care for minors, some adults​ - For crying out loud . . .

The story of the man who was NOT wearing the pro-trans pedophilia shirt at Pride - My post from last night. 

Hate group attorneys ask federal appeals court to resurrect lawsuit - They have no evidence or proof of their claims.

The story of the man who was NOT wearing the pro-trans pedophilia shirt at Pride

One thing LGBTQ people have to deal with these days are wannabe social media influencers trolling us for content. Groups such as Gays Against Groomers and Libs of TikTok and people like Matt Walsh and Tim Pool have had much success stirring up by the gullible sending out videos and clips mischaracterizing teachers and drag queens as 'groomers' and mischaracterizing our events as dangerous to kids.

Unfortunately, so many others want to get into the act, including this person below (Editor's note - the original tweet has been deleted but I saved a picture of it as you can see):

A photo like this is sure stir things up. As you can see, it's already gotten a lot of hits and it will probably cause a lot of accusations towards the entire LGBTQ community, particularly our trans brothers and sisters.

But here is the true picture which was caught and posted by watchful person on Twitter.

It's Photoshopped. Here's the original.

This guy should sue for defamation. https://t.co/bvrK87zi1j pic.twitter.com/x50GTIp2DI

— NateTalksToYou (@NateTalksToYou) June 7, 2023

Will there be any repercussions? I don't know but I am leaning into the doubt category. When stuff like this is caught in time, folks generally let it pass without raising a fuss.

However, when these wannabe social media influencers are able to pass something like this along for a while without being called on it, it causes the LGBTQ community a myriad of problems as seen by the related posts below:

Far right activists don't know the difference between a circus act and a drag show

Undercover investigators say no lewd acts were performed at drag show targeted by DeSantis

Taken out-of-context video fuels ugly lie about drag queens 'grooming' children

Drag performer sues far-right blogger alleging defamation over edited video 

BUSTED! Far right caught spreading false story that a drag queen exposed self to children 

Candace Owens can't even tell a good lie. Far right personality busted using fake photo of 'drag queen' 

Babylon Bee editor Seth Dillon caught spreading false story about a child tipping a half naked drag queen 

Silly conservative 'activist' doesn't know the difference between drag queens, drag kings, and strippers

'How hate group 'Moms for Liberty is helping states pass vicious anti-LGBTQ bills' & other Wed midday news briefs

How Moms for Liberty is helping states pass vicious anti-LGBTQ bills​ - It's what the hate group does.

Human Rights Campaign declares LGBTQ state of emergency in US - BUT what's going to be done about it?

Baseless anti-transgender claims fuel adoption of harmful laws - Rinse and repeat. 

Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem slams Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis, says “stop Florida-shaming us!” - Uh oh. Cue the "athletes shouldn't get political" crowd.

Anti-LGBTQ, anti-black history group Moms for Liberty declared a hate group by SPLC

 

This couldn't have happened to a more deserving group:

Moms for Liberty, the far-right parental group known for protesting at school board meetings, has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a "hate group" for the first time ever. Moms for Liberty, which recently said it knows liberal groups are spying on its activities because it's doing the same thing to them, is among 12 parental groups added to the SPLC's list of hate groups, according to USA Today.

 "The Southern Poverty Law Center is for the first time labeling Florida-headquartered Moms for Liberty and 11 other right-wing 'parents' rights' groups as extremist groups in its annual report, released today," USA Today wrote

. "Moms for Liberty and the other organizations are being designated as 'anti-government extremist groups,' based on longstanding criteria, explained SPLC Intelligence Project Director Susan Corke. Corke said the grassroots conservative groups are part of a new front in the battle against inclusivity in schools, though they are drawing from ideas rooted in age-old white supremacy." 

 "Moms for Liberty and the other organizations are being designated as 'anti-government extremist groups,' based on longstanding criteria, explained SPLC Intelligence Project Director Susan Corke. Corke said the grassroots conservative groups are part of a new front in the battle against inclusivity in schools, though they are drawing from ideas rooted in age-old white supremacy."

And SPLC's report on the group is extensive, particularly its attack on the LGBTQ community:

Moms for Liberty's attack on the LGBTQ community and their rights has been particularly focused on gender identity and the use of pronouns in schools, the transgender community and gender affirming care, and the proposed changes to Title IX, which would expand rights to the LGBTQ community. As close followers and promoters of speaker Dr. James Lindsay, the group also elevates the term "groomer," referring to a person who builds a relationship with a child to sexualize them. A critical race theory-critic and favorite of the organization, Lindsay has appeared at events and is often shared by the group’s members and officials. Lindsay also pushes theories regarding the ways that Marxists indoctrinate children. Lindsay, an admitted Christian nationalist, was made famous for coining the term "ok groomer," which subsequently led to a lifetime Twitter ban in August 2022. 

Moms for Liberty adopted the term "groomer," employing it in Twitter posts. However, once the social media platform outlawed the use of term in July 2022, the group expressed its displeasure, posting a video of "Relatable" with Allie Beth Stuckey on the group’s national website. In the video, entitled “The Left's 'Don't Say Groomer’ Policy,” the host says, "Twitter and Reddit are censoring the word groomer to describe adults who talk to children about gender switching and sexuality. What else are we supposed to call them?"  

And then there is the group's attack on racially inclusive curriculum such black history lessons and books:

In addition to fighting mask and COVID mandates, opposition to inclusive curriculum is at the core of Moms for Liberty's infrastructure. Their attack on critical race theory and social emotion learning has put them in the spotlight at school board meetings across the country. Moms for Liberty has been a strong proponent in the push to keep new equity and inclusion from entering public schools and remove any existing opportunities. The group has also been strong supporters of the wave of anti-CRT bills sweeping the country and key actors in the sharp increase in book bans occurring in schools and libraries. 

 . . . In 2021, a Tennessee chapter of Moms for Liberty was the first to file a complaint under the state’s new anti-CRT bill. The chapter took issue with a book by Ruby Bridges on her experiences integrating a school and also one on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which they called, “Anti-American, Anti-White, and Anti-Mexican.” In their opinion, these books focused too much on the negatives of history and would prefer that their children’s schools have books that focus on heroes like Clarence Thomas, Morgan Freeman, and Condoleezza Rice. The chapter specifically took issue with Bridges recollections of a White mob yelling at her on her way to school and pictures of firemen hosing Black children in the MLK March on Washington.

 Instead, Moms for Liberty recommended using The Making of America to teach history. This 1985 book by conspiracy theorist and John Birch Society supporter W. Cleon Skousen portrays slave owners as the "worst victims of slavery" and claims that although the Founders wanted to free slaves, most slaves were unprepared for lives of freedom. When an anti-CRT bill went into place in New Hampshire, the Moms for Liberty chapter there announced a reward of $500 if someone could catch a teacher breaking the law. The Tweet announcing this was retweeted by the national organization.

Feel free to read SPLC's entire report here. 

'Same-sex marriage support holds at 71% high' & other Tue midday news briefs

U.S. Same-Sex Marriage Support Holds at 71% High - That's right. Don't even try to mess with it. 

Accidentally Public Documents Show Hate Group Asked Medical Hate Group To Invent Anti-Transgender Data​ - It's certainly not the first time, either. 

How drag bans have made clothing a political statement, according to a queer style expert - Whatever is thrown at us, we adapt it to suit us. 

Moms for Liberty goes ballistic over mention of LGBTQ+ students in yearbook - Pathetic group of haters trying so hard to make us invisible.

Companies continue to support Pride in spite of boycotts and other threats

 According to The Associated Press, boycotts and other attacks on companies which sell Pride merchandise has caught many by surprised and has made things a big uneasy for them. However, they are still going to support Pride

Many big companies, including Target and Bud Light's parent, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them. Target and Bud Light recently came under fire for their efforts to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community, only to come under more fire when they tried to backpedal. 

 But even as they battle the negative publicity, Target and Bud Light haven’t pulled away from this year’s Pride celebrations. Target is a platinum sponsor of NYC Pride, which requires a $175,000 donation. And Bud Light’s parent Anheuser-Busch is a sponsor of Pride celebrations in Chicago, San Francisco, Charlotte and elsewhere. 

Many other big companies are sticking to their sponsorships as well, including PepsiCo, Starbucks, General Motors and Jeep parent Stellantis — all of which said they have been supporting Pride events for decades and aren’t hesitating to back them again this year. 

 As the article points out, this continued support has come with a price. Social media campaigns are a part of the reason for the attack on these companies and Pride in general. These campaigns, some amplifying false tropes of LGBTQ molesting kids, have increased.

 A majority of negative social media posts about Pride this year are attacking companies for being “woke” and accusing them of sexualizing or grooming children, says RILA Global Consulting, which tracks more than 100 million websites and social media pages per day. That’s an abrupt change from last year, when a majority of negative social media posts were focused on brands being “inauthentic” and not truly supporting the LGBTQ population even as they expanded their offerings. In May and June of 2022, there were fewer than 400 posts calling for Pride-related boycotts, RILA said. This year, in May alone there were more than 15,000.

 However, what it may simply come down to is the power of the purse. 

 InterPride, which represents more than 375 Pride organizations globally, said 40% have reported their sponsorship dollars are up 20% or more this year. The buying power of the LGBTQ+ community is likely too big for companies to ignore. LGBT Capital, a U.K.-based investment company, estimates the U.S. has more than 17 million LGBTQ+ people with more than $1 trillion in spending power. 

 “For every one customer knocking the display over, there are 10 who love it, and they are going to vote with their feet,” said Allen Adamson, co-founder and managing partner of marketing firm Metaforce.

We've got money and the companies want it. It sounds like a predatory relationship, but I have no problem with it.  I get that some might find this tacky, but welcome to reality.  It's not right that we have to fight so hard for the right to live in peace. And we want people and companies to make decisions on the grounds that they are the right things to do. But sometimes, there is nothing wrong with using what you have to get what you need.

And what we have here is the power of the LGBTQ dollar. 

'Idaho, Nebraska sued over gender-affirming care bans' & other Mon midday news briefs

Two lawsuits needing to happen:

 ACLU sues Idaho for “unprecedented” gender-affirming care ban 

 Nebraska sued over trans health care ban because it violates state ban on multi-issue bills 

 Transgender adults in Florida `blindsided’ that new law also limits their access to health care - Meanwhile, do NOT leave Florida out.

Pride 30: Drag performers who made 'herstory' - Respect the Queens.

Utah School District Removed the Bible, Now It Might Remove Book of Mormon​ - When your book ban continues to backfire. 

Trans Woman Inmate Reaches Landmark Settlement with Minnesota Prison System - And the settlement "guarantees appropriate housing and treatment for all trans inmates in the state." 

Top Ugandan official accused Western nations of “blackmail” over brutal “Kill the Gays” Act - Oh you poor thing.